The Eternal Story
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: Nick has finally reunited with Will, and the Guardians of the Veil are together again. But the Oracle senses a powerful darkness approaching their world, that of a foe he hoped would never resurface. To that end, he decides to test Nick and Will for the Mark of Mastery. Fantasy and reality. Sleep and waking. Nick and Will. The destiny of all rests in the hands of two...
1. The First Steps to the Mark of Mastery!

_Unknown place, fifteen years ago..._

"Meter! What have you done?!"

"Isn't it obvious, my dearies? This world isn't fit for the likes of you!"

"Wait... that keyblade! It can't be!"

"That's right, you wretched Elemental Queens! This is MY dominion now! Seal me away if you must, but this world will be mine and mine alone to rule!"

"I'm afraid that you will never get that chance, Meter. I now sincerely regret making you a Keyblade Master. I should have foreseen that the power given to you would corrupt you in the end. But I will not make that mistake again."

"Don't be so cocky, Himerish. Your precious Keyblade Masters can't do crap to me! This isn't the end!"

"...victory is ours. But at what cost?"

"Himerish, is what she said true? That she will eventually break free and threaten our worlds again?"

"Even if that does come to pass, I swear to you, Luba, that a new generation of Keyblade Masters will be ready to rise against her evil."

"I sincerely hope you're right, your majesty."

_Present day, the Keyblade Crossroads..._

Eighteen-year-old Nick Kelly looked around, absent-mindedly twirling his keyblade, the Oathkeeper, in his right hand.

"Wait a second. What am I doing back at the Crossroads?!" Nick exclaimed, gazing about the Keyblade Crossroads, which represented the four paths of destiny.

The year before, Xehanort, who had thought been destroyed at the end of the battle with the Chasers, had possessed Will and turned her against the other Guardians of the Veil, destroying Heatherfield and separating the Guardians from each other. Nick had, by some miracle, survived the attack and wound up in Traverse Town, a waystation of sorts for people whose worlds had been lost to the Heartless. After learning of an enemy force that intended to take over the mutliverse, Nick had teamed up with two new friends, Haruka Rose and Maylin Rae, and set out into the worlds, locking keyholes and battling the Heartless and Nobodies much like Sora had been doing. After defeating Lord Diablos, the leader of the villains, Nick had confronted the possessed Will in Hollow Bastion and eventually turned the Dark Keyblade on himself to restore his girlfriend Irma Lair's heart to its rightful place. Not long after, Nick and the gang had found Will in a strange void filled with the remnants of destroyed worlds. Will joined the party and eventually accepted the darkness inside of her, combining her powers with Nick to destroy Xehanort once and for all. Not long after Heatherfield had been restored, Will had declined to return home, opting to go on her own journey to hopefully purge Xehanort's remaining influence from her heart. After parting with Haruka and Maylin, Nick had elected to take the Crossroads and search for Will.

And now, a year after his journey had begun, Nick suddenly found himself back where his search had started.

"This is nuts," Nick growled, swinging Oathkeeper a few times. "Don't tell me I have to start this whole thing over again..."

Before he could vent his frustrations, Nick caught something out of the corner of his eyes. Someone was walking towards him, following the path to Dawn.

Nick's eyes widened to their fullest. There was no way...

But it was. That red bobcut hair and brown eyes were unmistakable.

**("Passion –opening version-" by Utada Hikaru plays)**

"Jeez, I really wish there was a pool somewhere around here," Will quipped as she brushed her free hand across one of the many keyblades that formed the Crossroads. All of these keyblades had come to rest here when their masters had been struck down. "I'm so sick of all these places not having swimming pools. I mean, _seriously_..."

Will looked down at the keyblade in her hand, Way to the Dawn. She gasped when she saw someone in the reflection of the weapon. Turning towards the source, her mouth fell open in shock.

"No way!" Will exclaimed. "Nick, is that you?!"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, Will!" Nick shouted back, rushing over to Will and hugging her tightly. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again!"

"I could say the same for you!" Will giggled, returning Nick's hug. "I found myself back here on the Crossroads after a whole year of traveling, and I was thinking to myself 'oh, great, I just went in a freakin' circle, didn't I?' and then I see you pop up!"

"I honestly don't know why I came back to the Crossroads, but I'm just glad I found you," Nick admitted.

Will suddenly started blushing as she looked at Nick. "Um, Nick? It's been a while, so would you mind if... if I... um, you know..."

Nick just smiled. "Go right ahead."

Will's smile brightened as she leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her best friend. Will had found herself falling in love with Nick (and Irma as well) after being freed from Xehanort's control. Will had said that she wished she could live her life like Nick had, wanting to follow the desires of her heart.

But before their lips could touch, a bright light surrounded them, and they felt the sensation of being whisked away to another place as the Keyblade Crossroads disappeared from their sight.

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(The past will be reawakened as a new number, in never-before seen detail. Prepare yourself for the awakening of the next number.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents...  
_W.I.T.C.H.: The Eternal Story  
_Story Created: August 1st, 2012

Summary: After a year of tireless searching, Nick finally reunites with Will, and the Guardians are back together again. However, their real journey is about to begin. The Oracle of Candracar senses a powerful darkness approaching their world, that of a foe he hoped would never resurface. To that end, he decides to test Nick and Will for the Mark of Mastery. If they can unlock the keyholes of seven Sleeping Worlds that have been disconnected from the other worlds and return to Candracar safely, they will be deemed Keyblade Masters. But this journey will not be easy. A brand new entity, the Dream Eaters, will stand in Nick and Will's way alongside friends and foes both old and new, and no one is certain what will happen along the way. Fantasy and reality. Sleep and waking. Nick and Will. The destiny of all rests in the hands of two...

Author's Note: GOD, has it been a while since I've written for this. I won't bore you with the details, but the last major W.I.T.C.H. story I wrote was _Key to Her Heart_, an adaptation of sorts of the original Kingdom Hearts, continuing the storyline that "K is for Keyblade" started. And now, we're here with the next chapter in that saga after a little over FOUR FREAKIN' YEARS. And yeah, I'm just gonna forget Keys of Memory ever happened. I don't know WHAT I was thinking when I started that.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own W.I.T.C.H. and Kingdom Hearts. That much should be obvious. W.I.T.C.H. belongs to Elisabetta Gnome and Disney, Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix, and any other anime, video game, or cartoon series represented in this story belongs to their respective creators. All I own is any characters created by yours truly for the story. But I DO own a copy of Dream Drop Distance, and it is AWESOME!

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Verse 1: Sleep, Perchance to Dream! The First Steps to the Mark of Mastery!

When the light cleared away, Nick and Will found themselves in a very familiar locale: it was Candracar, a place they hadn't been to in well over a year, ever since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka had used Candracar as a crossing point to Timeless River, where Diablos and his minions had attempted to rewrite the past.

"Well, this brings back memories," Nick noted.

"HEY!"

The two spun around at this proclamation, noticing that the remaining Guardians of the Veil were running up to them.

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Irma Lair, Guardian of Water, shouted as she leapt forward and glomped Nick and Will.

"We didn't think you'd ever be back," Taranee Cook, Guardian of Fire, noted as she adjusted her glasses. "Everyone's been waiting for you two."

"You two missed a LOT of cool stuff on your little vacation," Cornelia Hale, Guardian of Earth, giggled as she looked Nick and Will up and down.

"How in the world did you two get to Candracar?" Hay Lin, Guardian of Air, asked, hopping up and down excitedly.

"I guess the Oracle might have called us," Will wondered.

"Indeed I have, young ones."

The entire group turned around and saw that Himerish, Candracar's oracle, had appeared before them.

"What's up, your majesty?" Will asked.

"No doubt you are all wondering why I have called you here," Himerish proclaimed.

"Yeah, the 411 would be greatly appreciated," Irma stated.

"As most of you are aware, the worlds have been at peace for a long time, ever since Nick and Will vanquished Xehanort," Himerish explained. "However, I am now sensing a great darkness approaching."

"Oh, good god, don't tell me he's back again..." Will growled.

"Could it be his Heartless, maybe? Or possibly even a Nobody?" Cornelia wondered.

"That's not possible! Sora already wiped those possibilities out of the picture!" Hay Lin quipped.

"This darkness is symbolic of an enemy far worse than Xehanort," Himerish proclaimed. "An enemy I hoped never to return from her slumber... if my fears are true, the Dark Mother is approaching quickly."

"Dark Mother?" Nick asked. "Who the heck is that?"

"A face from Candracar's past," a new voice cut in. Nick looked to his left and saw Maylin Rae and Haruka Rose walking towards the group, their keyblades ready.

"The Dark Mother used to be Meter, the Elemental Queen of Spring," Haruka explained. Having lived in Candracar from a very young age, ever since her original world had been destroyed by the Heartless, Haruka was very knowledgable about topics and history involving Candracar or elements related to it. "A long time ago, there were four Elemental Queens, each representing an element much like you guys do now."

"But something went wrong," Maylin continued, balancing her Chinese Spirit keyblade on her shoulder. "For some odd reason, Meter went berserk and betrayed the other Queens. She renamed herself the Dark Mother and declared war on Candracar. The other Elemental Queens fought bravely, and they managed to seal her away underneath the world."

"But there was something else people didn't know about Meter before she became the Dark Mother," Haruka continued. "Aside from her duty as an Elemental Queen, only a few people in Candracar know that Meter was once a Keyblade Master."

"Yes, it is true," Himerish noted. "As a Keyblade Master, Meter had a gift like few others. But such great minds are often plagued by a single great question. What is the essence of the human heart that weakens us, or empowers us? The answer, she believed, would be found in the 'Keyblade War'. What if the challenges of our past were, in fact, a map to the light and darkness that battles within us all? Meter had to know, so she renounced her duties as Keyblade Master and chose the life of a seeker. Ever since, in many a guise, Meter, as the Dark Mother, has clashed with protectors of the light. Keyblade wielders like yourselves. And mark my words... she will trouble us yet again. We must be ready. Which brings me to why I have called you here. Nick, Will, step forward."

Nick and Will obeyed, walking close to Himerish.

"Nick and Will, I have called you here to Candracar to show us the Mark of Mastery."

Everyone gasped loudly at that.

"Wait, you want to make us Keyblade Masters?" Will asked. "Is that even possible?"

Himerish nodded. "I possess the qualifications to test pupils for the Mark, as a former Keyblade Master myself."

That alone was a shock to everyone present.

"Wow, the Oracle was a keyblade wielder, too? Shock after shock today, huh?" Hay Lin giggled.

"No doubt you two fancy yourselves masters already," Himerish teased. "But it takes years of training. Only a true master can teach you the proper way. All of you standing before me are self-taught keyblade wielders. An impressive feat, indeed. However, the time has come for you to let go of preconceived notions, let go of what you know about the keyblade, and start your training with a clean slate."

"But that's just a formality, right? I already proved myself," Nick quipped. "Me, Will, the Guardians, we can take on anything! Right, Will?"

Will didn't answer for a few seconds, having lost her earlier sunny disposition. "I don't know," she finally replied, extending her hand and materializing the Soul Eater, a dark weapon she had used while under Xehanort's control. While she didn't use it anymore, favoring Way to the Dawn, she still kept it as a last resort option. "I think that in my heart, darkness still has a hold. Walking that path changed me. I'm not sure if I have the right to wield a keyblade anymore. Maybe I do need to be tested."

"Then count me in! Put me through the test, too. I promise you, Will and I are gonna pass with flying colors!" Nick shouted.

"Very well," Himerish replied. "Then let us begin the examination."

Will looked up to the infinite sky of Candracar, Way to the Dawn materializing in her hand. "Your Majesty, I don't even know why I'm here now. I still have darkness inside of me."

Will gasped when she felt Nick's hands resting on her shoulders. "Everyone has darkness inside of them, Will. It's not something you can avoid. I'm guessing you still think darkness is a bad thing, right?"

Will closed her eyes, not wanting Nick to see that she was about to start crying. "I honestly don't know anymore, Nick. After everything I've done... I don't have the right to think like that..."

"Will, listen to me," Nick proclaimed. "None of that was your fault. All of the bad things you did, you only did because Xehanort had complete control of your body. You weren't acting of your own free will. I want you to listen to me very closely when I say this, okay? Darkness isn't universally evil. The only reason people believe that is because jerks like Xehanort give it a bad reputation. I know from personal experience that darkness is something that can benefit you without making a puppet out of the user. Remember what Irma said when we faced Xemnas three years ago? She said that light and darkness are half of everything, and they can't live without the other. Darkness doesn't have to be a bad thing. You just have to know how to control it without letting it control you."

Nick reached out and affectionately ruffled Will's hair. "And believe me, Will, you have that kind of power more than anyone. You're the only person I've ever met in my life who can blend the powers of light and darkness. You have the strength to control the darkness without letting it control you. That alone should make you think."

Will's eyes began tearing up, and she couldn't resist hugging Nick tightly. "Thank you so much, Nick... you're too sweet to me, you know that?"

"Because I love you, silly," Nick teased. "I wouldn't let my girlfriend cut herself down."

Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin gasped in shock at this statement, obviously having not been there when Will had confessed her love for Nick in the World's End. What was even more surprising was that Irma didn't seem at all fazed by it.

"Irma, you DID just hear that, right?" Cornelia asked.

"He's just following his heart," Irma replied. "Nothing I can really do. Besides, the three of us had a talk about that after we wiped the floor with Xehanort, and I'm perfectly okay with this. I decided that I lost fair and square. And plus, they actually do look cute together, don't you agree?"

Irma flashed a thumbs up to Nick, signifying all was forgiven. Nick quickly responded with one of his own.

"Now, if we are ever to strike down Meter, we need three individuals who have all met with sad fates," Himerish continued. "We must bring them out of sorrow and slumber, and back to the real world. To do so, seven Sleeping Keyholes must be unlocked and a great power retrieved. As you are aware, under normal circumstances, every world is walled off from the next, preventing travel between them. In the past, you have been able to bridge these gaps because the walls were broken, or because you could open special lanes with your keyblades or even the Heart of Candracar. But your new goals, the Sleeping Keyholes, are harder to reach, even from this place in the center of infinity."

Himerish looked up to the skies. "As you may recall, you have all brought many worlds back from the darkness. But some never returned completely. These worlds still sleep, cut off from all outside channels. Not even the Heartless can enter. But these Sleeping Worlds are said to have their own manner of darkness. They are called 'Dream Eaters', and there are two kinds: Nightmares, who devour happy dreams, and benevolent 'Spirits', which consume the Nightmares. The Dream Eaters will guide you, just as the Heartless once did, to the keyhole you seek at the heart of each world."

Himerish again looked at the Guardians. "One dream is connected to another, which means we must choose in which Sleeping World you will begin. I will return the two of you to Heatherfield just before it was swallowed by the darkness and plunged into sleep. Once dreams take you, you must let them guide you to the Sleeping Worlds. As there are seven pure lights, there are seven Sleeping Keyholes. Unlocking these will both grant the two of you new powers and free the worlds from their wakelessness. Complete this task and return here safely, and I will name you both true Keyblade Masters."

"Acknowledged," Nick quipped. "We're ready to go whenever you are."

"Before you head out on your test, I have a gift for the Keeper of the Heart," Himerish stated. "Step forward, Will."

Will took a few steps towards Himerish, wondering what he was getting at.

"Hold out the Heart of Candracar, if you would."

Will did so, the prism-shaped jewel glowing brightly.

"Take out your keyblade."

Still a little confused, Will obeyed, letting Way to the Dawn appear in her other hand.

"Now, Will, touch the Heart to your keyblade and see what happens."

The Keeper did as instructed, placing the Heart of Candracar on the center of Way to the Dawn, and suddenly, a bright flash filled the Congregation Hall.

When the light died down, Will gasped in surprise and shock; combining the Heart of Candracar with Way to the Dawn had transformed it into an entirely new keyblade. The weapon was a bright blue and silver in color. The shaft of the keyblade resembled a sword with four light-green feathers that resembled the Guardians' wings curving around the point of the blade. In the center of the hilt was a little jewel containing Will's element symbol, while the element symbols of the other five Guardians were printed on the shaft of the blade. As Will studied her new weapon, the words _Ethereal Light_ ran through her head.

"Whoa! Did Will's keyblade just get a makeover?" Irma exclaimed.

"The infinite power of the Heart, combined with the keyblade she wields on her road to dawn, has created a new keyblade for her to use. Its powers will suit you well as a twin wielder of both darkness and light," Himerish explained. "Ethereal Light is yours to command, Will. Use it in victory."

"Thank you, your majesty," Will stated, swinging her new keyblade a couple times. "I'm glad you still trust me with a keyblade."

"It is like your friends have said, Will. All of the dark acts you have committed, you only did under the influence of Xehanort. He had complete control of your mind and body. Now that he is no more, you can make your own decisions. I trust that you will command your new keyblade to defend the Waking Worlds and Sleeping Worlds."

"You can count on me."

"Well, are we gonna get started with this thing?!" Nick exclaimed, summoning Oathkeeper. "I kinda want to kick some butt!"

Everyone present laughed at this proclamation.

"Nice to see you haven't changed all that much, Nick," Cornelia giggled.

"Very well, then," Himerish proclaimed, closing his eyes and raising his hands. "Off into the Sleeping Worlds you go."

A bright vortex of light surrounded Nick and Will, and when it cleared, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Good luck, you guys," Irma stated.

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When Nick was able to open his eyes, he saw that he was back in Heatherfield.

"Hey, is this real, or are we dreaming?" Will asked, balancing herself on Ethereal Light.

"Not entirely sure," Nick replied, spinning Oathkeeper in his free hand. "The Oracle said that we'd be starting here first, but I don't know if this Heatherfield is a Sleeping World or the actual Heatherfield."

Before Will could respond to that, she saw someone approaching.

"Um, Nick, I think I can answer that for you," Will gasped as she pointed towards the approaching figure.

Nick didn't need three guesses to figure out who it was. One look at the Dark Keyblade in the person's hands told Nick everything he needed to know.

"Nerissa!" Nick growled. Indeed, it was Nerissa, former Keeper of the Heart, in her teenage form and wielding the Dark Keyblade.

"It's been too long, you keyblade-swinging brats," Nerissa cackled. "I guess he was right about you two being here. I've been waiting a long time for this chance, and I believe it's time for my revenge!"

"Fat chance of that! I'm not giving in to the darkness anymore!" Will shouted. "So you can take that Dark Keyblade and shove it down your throat!"

"Ooh, you're gonna pay for trashing me like that," Nerissa growled.

"Wow, didn't think you'd get so bold in just a year," Nick teased.

"Hey, I've had time to think of new lines," Will giggled. "Now what you day we stomp this chick?"

"Oh, yeah," Nick replied. He hadn't done much fighting on his year-long search for Will, mostly due to Heartless and Nobody activity slowing down considerably since Xehanort's defeat. So he was ready for some action.

"Bring it on, both of you!" Nerissa shouted, charging forward.

Will immediately reacted by lashing out with a dual spinning attack that tore into Nerissa. The peculiar thing about this attack was that on Will's first spin, Ethereal Light was touched with darkness, and on her second spin, Ethereal Light was glittering with light energy.

"How's THAT on you?!" Will shouted.

"You think that will stop me?!" Nerissa shouted.

"Maybe not, but how about THIS for a show?!" Nick shot back, raising Oathkeeper to the sky. As Nerissa rushed forward to interrupt the attack, she was lashed at by three rings of revolving crystals that had started spinning around Nick.

"Hey, you learned some new tricks," Will noted.

"And that's not even the best part," Nick quipped, pointing towards Nerissa and the fact that Nick's attack had caused her to drop the Dark Keyblade.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Nick charged, picking up the Dark Keyblade on his way, and quickly began a frenzy of slashes with both weapons, giving Nerissa no time to counter or defend.

In one final blaze of glory, Nick struck with both weapons in an X-formation, tearing straight through Nerissa and causing her to evaporate into nothingness on the spot.

"That was... rather anticlimactic," Nick admitted.

"Well, this is just a dream," Will noted. "And either way, it's been a good four years since you and Irma walloped Nerissa the last time. We've all gotten pretty strong since then."

"Good point," Nick quipped.

"Nick, look!" Will exclaimed, pointing to the sky. A shining keyhole had just appeared.

"It can't be a Sleeping Keyhole already, can it?" Nick wondered.

"I think that's our way into the Sleeping Worlds!" Will responded. "Let's unlock that bad boy!"

Nothing more needed to be said. Nick and Will raised their keyblades, each one shooting a beam of light into the keyhole. When the beams hit, the keyhole appeared to shatter like glass, only to reveal a portal behind it that shined brighter and brighter before dragging them into it, leaving this dream version of Heatherfield behind.

As they were pulled into the portal, Nick and Will heard a strange voice.

"_This world has been connected."_

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Next time:

Verse 2: Awaken, Keyblade Warriors! Traverse Town and the Reapers' Game!

Nick and Will get separated upon arriving in Traverse Town, their first real stop on the Mark of Mastery Exam. But why can't Nick and Will find each other? Maybe it has something to do with the strange youths that are popping up here and there. Either way, the Mark of Mastery Exam has only just begun...


	2. Traverse Town and the Reaper's Game!

"_Do you think he's okay?"_

"_He's not dead, is he?"_

"_No, he's just unconscious. But it looks like he took one hell of a hit."_

"_What do you think happened to him?"_

_Voices._

_That was all Nick could hear as he slowly stirred. He felt a number of bruises from the battle against Darkside, as well as a large bump on his forehead that still hurt badly._

"_I think he's waking up!"_

_Indeed, Nick sat up that very moment, slowly opening his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he seemed to be in a town that looked like Heatherfield, only brighter, much smaller, and bathed in a seemingly tranquil darkness._

_Another thing he noticed was that two girls were staring at him._

"_Oh, I'm so glad you're okay," the Chinese girl said._

"_How are you feeling?" the brown-haired girl asked Nick._

_Suddenly, Nick remembered..._

"_Will! I don't know who did this to you, but they're going to pay!" Nick shouted, the Oathkeeper materializing in his hands._

_That made the two girls gasp._

"_You... you're a Guardian, aren't you?" the Chinese girl asked._

"_How do you know that?" Nick asked defensively._

"_We're from Candracar. The Oracle sent us on a mission to see if anyone survived the attack on Heatherfield," the Chinese girl replied._

_Nick hung his head at the mention of his destroyed home._

"_Heatherfield... it's gone, isn't it?"_

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(The past will be reawakened as a new number, in never-before seen detail. Prepare yourself for the awakening of the next number.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents...

_W.I.T.C.H.: The Eternal Story_

Story Created: August 1st, 2012

This Chapter: August 27th, 2012

Summary: After a year of tireless searching, Nick finally reunites with Will, and the Guardians are back together again. However, their real journey is about to begin. The Oracle of Candracar senses a powerful darkness approaching their world, that of a foe he hoped would never resurface. To that end, he decides to test Nick and Will for the Mark of Mastery. If they can unlock the keyholes of seven Sleeping Worlds that have been disconnected from the other worlds and return to Candracar safely, they will be deemed Keyblade Masters. Btu this journey will not be easy. A brand new entity, the Dream Eaters, will stand in Nick and Will's way alongside friends and foes both old and new, and no one is certain what will happen along the way. Fantasy and reality. Sleep and waking. Nick and Will. The destiny of all rests in the hands of two...

Today's Episode: Nick and Will get separated upon arriving in Traverse Town, their first real stop on the Mark of Mastery Exam. But why can't Nick and Will find each other? Maybe it has something to do with the strange youths that are popping up here and there. Either way, the Mark of Mastery Exam has only just begun...

Disclaimer: I do NOT own W.I.T.C.H. and Kingdom Hearts. That much should be obvious. W.I.T.C.H. belongs to Elisabetta Gnome and Disney, Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix, and any other anime, video game, or cartoon series represented in this story belongs to their respective creators. All I own is any characters created by yours truly for the story. But I DO own a copy of Dream Drop Distance, and it is AWESOME! For this chapter, I do not own anything related to _The World Ends With You_, property of Square Enix and Jupiter, its creator. I haven't played it yet, but I'm picking up the new Solo Remix version for iOS stuff. I think I've heard rumors of a sequel...

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Verse 2: Awaken, Keyblade Warriors! Traverse Town and the Reapers' Game!

When Nick opened his eyes, he noticed that he had arrived in a very familiar locale.

"Wait a second. This is... this is Traverse Town..." Nick noted. To be precise, he was in the First District, where he had wound up after the initial attack on Heatherfield.

After looking at his hand, he realized that he was decked out in new duds; specifically, a dark red t-shirt with a black vest that resembled Sora's outfit, gray jean shorts and rather cool-looking shoes, much like the pair of Nikes he had been checking out in Heatherfield before all of this madness had started.

"Hey, what happened to my clothes?" Nick wondered. "Must be more of the Oracle's magic. Wait a minute, what happened to Will?!"

Nick jerked his head around frantically, searching for any sign of his fellow Guardian, but nothing. After shouting her name a few times...

"Dude, shut up. Talk about noise."

Nick looked up, noticing a boy about his age floating in the air. This surprised Nick so much that he collapsed to the ground.

"Nick, right?" the boy asked. He was about Nick's height, with spiky orange hair that reminded him a lot of Sora. He was wearing a blue jacket with a neck that seemed to cover his mouth slightly. The most easily noticeable thing about this boy was that he was wearing headphones.

"Yeah, that's my name, don't wear it out. But, uh... how do you know that?" Nick queried as the boy took his hand and examined his palm.

"Looks like you're not a Player," the boy quipped.

"A what?" Nick asked.

"Come on, keep up. In the Game," the boy growled, obviously growing impatient and showing his own hand, which was marked with a glowing red timer stationed at about forty-three minutes. "Players get marked with the time limit. And this Game, I can't afford to lose. I need my Game partner."

"Okay. I don't know about any 'Game', but can I help?" Nick wondered.

"Whoa. Time out. Do you trust every total stranger you meet?" the boy quipped. "Look... sorry, you're no good. You're not a Player. And my pact's with someone else."

"Okay, so we can't be partners," Nick admitted. "Why don't I just help you out as your friend?"

"So now we're friends?" the boy noted. "It's not that easy."

"Not saying it is, but... you could make it easier," Nick replied.

"Yeah, sounds great. Whatever," the boy sighed.

"All right, then lead the way," Nick stated. The boy nodded, suddenly surrounding himself in a purple aura and charging forward super-fast, catching one of the nearby light poles and spinning around it. As the boy built momentum, he let go and flew towards the familiar Accessory Shop, eventually hopping off the wall to continue his pursuit.

Nick, wondering if he could do the same, mimicked the boy's motions, and found himself doing the exact same tricks. When he finally landed near the doorway to the Second District, he had to catch his breath.

"WOW, what a rush!" Nick exclaimed. "I didn't think I could be so agile! I wonder if it has something to do with being in the Sleeping Worlds..."

Deciding that he'd ponder on it later, Nick decided to continue following the strange boy and pushed his way through the doors to enter the Second District.

After a bit, he caught up with the boy in the square.

"Oh, by the way, I didn't catch your name," Nick asked.

Before the boy could answer, ripples appeared around them, and strange cat-like creatures in black and purple appeared from each one.

"Dream Eaters!" the boy shouted.

"That's a weird name," Nick realized, a question mark appearing over his head.

"Not me. Them!" the boy growled, gesturing to the Dream Eaters. Not wasting a second, the boy summoned a Dream Eater of his own, a bright blue cat creature who was more like a cat than the Nightmares around them. The Necho Cat did a spinning tail attack to one of the Meow Wows before dashing off to fight the others.

"Don't let 'em surround us! Let's split up!" the boy exclaimed. "Oh, and, uh... it's Neku."

"Huh?"

"Neku Sakuraba. You asked, right?"

"That's a mouthful!"

"No, it's really not."

"All right, then, Neku, let's take 'em!" Nick shouted, bringing Oathkeeper into a fighting stance.

Nick concentrated, the Oathkeeper beginning to glow brightly. As the Meow Wows all closed in on him, Nick raised the Oathkeeper towards the sky and performed the same attack he'd used on the phantom Nerissa, summoning three rings of revolving light crystals that spun around him, tearing anything that got close to shreds.

When the battlefield was clear, Nick was able to get a look at the Dream Eater that Neku had summoned. "So these things of yours... they're Dream Eaters, too?"

"Yeah. If I'm gonna survive the Game, I'm gonna need some extra help. Think you could control them?" Neku explained.

"Um... sure, I guess..." Nick quipped.

"Follow me," Neku replied, heading off down an alleyway. Nick recognized that alleyway as the path to the Third District.

Once in the Third District, however, Nick saw Neku looking up at something.

"Hey, I brought you Nick! We had a bargain!" Neku shouted.

"What's the matter, Neku?" Nick asked, but when he looked towards where Neku was gazing, he saw the unmistakable black coat of Organization XIII. "No freakin' way!"

The hooded figure jumped off of the railing, aiming an attack for Nick.

"Hey, that wasn't the deal! You said you wouldn't hurt him!" Neku growled, leaping to intercept the figure's attack.

Realizing that Neku didn't know what Organization XIII was capable of, Nick brandished Oathkeeper, but just before he could charge, a strange feeling passed through his head, and everything became fuzzy.

"What the...? Why do I feel so... so sleepy?" Nick wondered as he fell back. He managed to catch one last glimpse of Neku fighting the hooded figure before blacking out completely. He didn't even feel himself hit the ground.

_~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~_

Will steadied herself as she opened her eyes, not knowing where she'd pop up.

"Hey, isn't this... I'm in Traverse Town, aren't I?" Will quipped. Even though she'd never actually been to Traverse Town before, she knew all about it, mostly thanks to Nick's stories about his adventures.

Looking down at her body, Will realized that she was sporting a new outfit. Now she was wearing a black t-shirt with a pink vest. What appeared to be the Heartless logo was imprinted on her chest, only it was missing the stitched lines through the middle and looked exactly like the keychain token of Way to the Dawn. She was also sporting hot pink Capri pants and silver hiking shoes. What Will liked about this outfit was that it showed off all the curves her body possessed now. No longer were any "angles" or "flat planes" present at all.

"Wow, I look good in these clothes..." Will giggled. It was only when the thought that Nick would think she looked sexy flew through her head that she realized that Nick wasn't by her side like he was when they'd opened the keyhole in the phantom Heatherfield.

"Nick? Where'd you go?!" Will shouted. "The last thing I remember is opening that keyhole after we slapped Nerissa silly. So this must be one of the Sleeping Worlds..."

"Wow! Where's your Portal?" a new voice cut in. "It takes something special to jump between grounds without one."

Will looked up and noticed a boy about her age sitting on one of the railings that dotted the Third District. He had sandy brown hair and bright purple eyes.

"All right, who are you?" Will challenged, summoning Ethereal Light into her hand.

"My name is Joshua," the boy replied.

"And what did you mean by 'Portal'?" Will queried. "It's not like THAT, is it? Because I REALLY don't want to see GLaDOS right now..."

"Are we just skipping past the part where you tell me your name?" Joshua replied.

"It's Will, in case you're wondering."

"Well, hello there, Will," Joshua laughed. "Portals are like gateways that link up our worlds. Apparently, the world you and I are standing in right now... well, there are two copies of it. It's sort of been split in half. Portals are what let folks like us cross between them."

"You're saying there can be two of a world?" Will asked.

"The world is as many things as people need it to be. The concept that we all live in the same world... that's just in our heads. Surely you knew? I tell you what, Will. I've actually got a little errand for you."

"Sorry," Will shot back, turning to walk away.. "I don't trust you. Last time I listened to somebody I didn't trust, I just about lost my body."

"Aw, at least hear me out," Joshua quipped. "I'm looking for a girl named Rhyme. She's the key to the portal. And on the other side, who knows who we'll find? Maybe even your friend Nick."

That caused Will to snap her gaze back on Joshua. "Wait, you know Nick?"

"Now I have your attention," Joshua noted with a tiny laugh. He hopped off of the railing and slowly floated down to the ground. "But unfortunately, I don't know where he is. If he's not in this version of the world, I can only assume he has to be in the other one. Simple logic."

Will thought for a second, then brought Ethereal Light to rest on her shoulder. "Okay. You wanna find Rhyme? You got it. Let's go."

As they walked towards the Second District, a large Nightmare appeared, resembling a circus bear.

"Stand back, Joshua!" Will shouted, readying her keyblade.

As the Kooma Panda charged, Will brought up Ethereal Light in a defensive stance to block its punch, which knocked it right back into the Kooma Panda's face, stunning it easily.

With this opportunity, Will decided she'd try an attack she'd seen Nick use on many occasions. She held Ethereal Light up, and it began to glow a bright orange. When she was ready, Will rushed forward and began savaging the Kooma Panda with a rapid series of fierce blows that ended in an overhead strike that finished off the Nightmare.

"Hey, Ars Arcanum really works," Will giggled, feeling proud of successfully executing one of her boyfriend's limit attacks. Suddenly, she realized something really odd: that the Nightmare had only attacked her, not even going anywhere near Joshua.

"Hey, Joshua?" Will asked as they entered the Second District. "Why don't they ever attack you?"

"'They' being Dream Eaters? They won't go after you unless you're a dreamer," Joshua answered. "Which is funny because I've got plenty of dreams..."

"But they don't hesitate to attack me," Will noted. "So... am I a dreamer?"

"Every human being is a dreamer," Joshua continued. "I had a friend once who said he never dreamed of anything. But it turned out that his were the most powerful dreams of all. You sort of remind me of him. Hey, why don't we give your dreams a shape? In this world, they take form as Dream Eaters, which can become great allies."

Joshua raised his hand, and two strangely-shaped jewels formed in Will's hands. Acting purely on instinct, Will let go of the jewels, and they began to float in front of her. Holding out Ethereal Light, Will focused on the jewel pieces, and they eventually sparkled and combined. In a bright flash, the Dream Pieces fused into a Spirit that resembled a bat with a spherical, fuzzy head.

"Hey, little guy," Will giggled. The Komory Bat flew up and started licking Will's face. "Hey, hey, cut it out! That tickles!"

"I gotchu now, Joshua!" a new voice resounded. Will looked up to see someone running by the hotels. "Once I take you down, yo, me and Rhyme is goin' back where we belong!"

Joshua sighed heavily. "Beat. How many times do we have to go over this? You've been tricked by that rogue in the black coat."

"Wait. Black coats? You can NOT be serious," Will quipped.

"I'm telling you, you've made a friend of our enemy," Joshua continued.

"Just can it, aight?!" Beat growled. "You and your inverse psychiatry ain't gonna work! Let's go, Dream Eaters!"

With that, Beat summoned a pack of Nightmares, all aiming for Joshua and Will.

"Does this always happen?" Will wondered.

"Beat's got his heart in the right place, but he's just unnaturally stubborn," Joshua replied.

Before Will could rush in and attack, her Komory Bat tapped her on the shoulder with its wing. "What's up, buddy?"

"It wants to link with you," Joshua explained. "The good Dream Eaters can link with your own spirit to aid you in battle."

"All right, if you say so," Will quipped, holding Ethereal Light to the sky. "Let's rock and roll, buddy! _Link Style! Darkest Fears!"_

The Komory Bat began glowing with a bright light, absorbing itself into Will's body. A few seconds later, larger versions of the Komory Bat's wings sprouted from her back, and her whole body shimmered with a dark aura.

"The... the darkness... it's not corrupting me..." Will realized. "Nick was right!"

Nothing more needed to be said as Will went on the warpath, using her enhanced powers to destroy each of the Nightmares that Beat had summoned, mostly relying on dark-enhanced combo attacks while tossing in a Dark Firaga every now and then. By the time the last of the Nightmares was destroyed, the darkness around Will faded (as did the wings) and her Komory Bat reappeared.

"Wow... that was so exhilarating..." Will gasped. "Nick was right after all... I CAN use the darkness without letting myself be controlled by it... oh, I need to give him a BIG kiss when I find him..."

"Man, this is stale, yo," Beat groaned.

Joshua just laughed. "Playing the tough guy 24/7? I'd be worn out, too."

"I just... wanna protect the one person who matters," Beat admitted.

"I know that feeling," Will responded. At that point, something shot through her mind, and her vision suddenly got fuzzy.

"Ugh... what's with... the sudden sleepiness?" Will asked herself. "This... isn't the best place... for a snooze cruise..."

Before she felt herself hit the ground, Will lost consciousness.

_~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~_

By the time Nick was able to open his eyes again, both Neku and the hooded figure had disappeared.

"They're both gone..." Nick noted.

_Before I fell asleep, Neku said that he and that creep in the coat had a "deal", _Nick thought._ But what was the deal? Are they in league? But... that can't be right. We never even found Neku's partner. I guess I should just take a look around._

The Oathkeeper in hand, Nick set out from the Third District, hoping to find Neku and that black hooded character.

Nick fought through many familiar areas of Traverse Town, wiping out Nightmares aplenty alongside a Spirit Meow Wow, a Dream Eater he'd created thanks to Neku teaching him how to do it earlier.

Nick couldn't help but like the little guy; being that he loved cats of all kinds, he instantly took a liking to his Meow Wow.

During one particular encounter in the gargantuan Post Office, a place he had never been to in Traverse Town before, Nick actually learned how to link with his Meow Wow. For this, the Meow Wow turned gigantic and Nick had decided to hitch a ride as the Meow Wow bounced all over the battlefield, crushing anything it landed on.

From the Post Office, Nick made his way through the Fountain Plaza, tearing through more Meow Wows with the help of his own; strangely, his Meow Wow didn't seem to think that the Nightmare Meow Wows were related to it. He would have thought that strange if he hadn't remembered Himerish telling him that Spirit Dream Eaters consumed the nightmares and left good dreams behind.

And finally, arriving in the Fourth District, Nick couldn't help but marvel at how bright and vibrant it was compared to the rest of Traverse Town.

"Wow! Never been down this way before!" Nick exclaimed, rushing down the stairways by the houses until he reached what appeared to be a coliseum.

Near one of the entryways, Nick caught sight of a girl who seemed about Lillian's age. Hell, she even looked a little like Lillian, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. But this new girl was wearing a black beanie with a skull printed on it, an orange t-shirt that also had a skull printed on the front, and white jean shorts.

"Hey, um... any chance you're Neku's partner?" Nick wondered.

"Huh?" the girl asked, turning around to face Nick. "I'm not really sure. All I know is that my name is Rhyme."

"You mean... you lost your memory?" Nick gasped.

"Yep."

"Aw man, that's gotta suck," Nick stated. "Sorry."

In response to that, Rhyme just giggled. "Aw, it's no big deal. You know what they always say: 'Sometimes memories just need a little help getting out'."

"Yeah, that's true," Nick quipped. "Hmm... 'a little help'... I know! Maybe Neku can jog your memory! Come on, Rhyme, let's go find him!"

"Right!" Rhyme chirped.

Rhyme took Nick's hand so he could lead the way, only letting go when Dream Eaters surrounded them so Nick could fight. More than once, Rhyme had complimented Nick on his fighting skills, saying she wished she could fight like him. Nick reassured her that she would be able to someday.

Upon arriving in the Fifth District, which was a series of high-rise buildings with a large shrubbery in the middle, Nick and Rhyme spotted their target standing on top of the stained glass roof that led into the garden.

"Hey, Neku, there you are!" Nick exclaimed. "Rhyme and I have been looking all over for you!"

"Oh, Nick," Neku quipped. "What? You still actually trust me?"

"Of course I do," Nick replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"But you know that I tricked you, right?" Neku growled. "That guy in the black coat... he said he could send me home, me and my partner. But I had to bring you to him first. Sorry."

"Hey, no big deal," Nick responded. "When it really mattered, you stood up for me. And besides, we're friends... right?"

"Friends..." Neku couldn't help but smile, a rare sight for him.

"Oh, hey, Neku, this girl here is Rhyme. Is she your Game partner?" Nick wondered.

'No. Sorry. I'm teamed up with someone else," Neku replied.

Before Nick could ask any questions, Rhyme suddenly disappeared.

"What the...? Rhyme?!" Nick exclaimed.

However, just ahead, the hooded figure walked out from a portal of darkness.

"You again," Nick growled. Neku charged in ahead of Nick, only to get swatted to the side by the hooded figure.

"Okay, what's your game?!" Nick shouted. The hooded figure only raised his hands and created a gigantic Nightmare in the form of a multi-colored gorilla that appeared to be coming out of a jack-in-the-box.

Nick decided to worry about this later and ran off to help Neku, but Hockomonkey leapt in front of him, barring his path.

"Outta my way!" Nick shouted, brandishing Oathkeeper.

Hockomonkey lashed out with a one-two punch that Nick sidestepped so he could unleash an Ars Arcanum attack. When he was finished, he noticed that Hockomonkey hadn't taken as much damage as he thought.

_So he's more resilient than the others. Guess I've got some work to do,_ Nick thought.

Hockomonkey took a few steps back before rushing at Nick in a barreling shoulder charge. Nick put Oathkeeper in front of him in a defensive stance, but to his definite surprise, the attack broke through his guard and sent Nick flying away from the rooftop.

Nick managed to right himself just in time, performing a Flowmotion jump (as he'd termed the cool freestyle movements that Neku had performed earlier) to get back to the battle.

Deciding to play things defensively, Nick moved away from Hockomonkey and started up a Strike Raid, throwing the spinning Oathkeeper at Hockomonkey before calling it back to his hands and taking another shot. Every time Hockomonkey tried to get close, another hit from the spinning keyblade would keep it in its current position.

Nick took advantage of the distraction to start hacking away at Hockomonkey, rolling away from its punches when he could and defending when he couldn't dodge.

The battle seemed to drag on for a while, neither combatant having the upper hand for too long.

Nick didn't know when the battle finally turned to his favor, but he suspected it was when Hockomonkey had slammed both of its beefy fists into the glass roof, and it had shattered, sending Hockomonkey falling down to the garden. And it was a _long_ drop, so when it hit ground, Hockomonkey was stunned, giving Nick all the opportunity he needed to slash fiercely at the Nightmare. Before long, Hockomonkey recovered, and it was back to the same old routine.

And finally, after a lot of work, Nick was able to distract Hockomonkey long enough to deliver the fatal blow, a spectacular Blitz-style strike to Hockomonkey's head that pretty much cut the Nightmare in half.

When the battlefield was clear, Nick started to walk out of the garden, but as he did, Oathkeeper disappeared from his grip. Before Nick could question that, a new keyblade appeared in his hand. This new weapon was predominantly black in color. Its teeth were in the shape of a skull that resembled Neku's Player Pin and the blade was composed of two black metal pieces elongating from the skull to the hilt, between them a purple line that quavered like a sound wave. The hilt was made up of two pieces of metal protruding from a circular piece that was red inside with the skull that appeared on Beat's beanie. The guard was based off Neku's headphones and a little black cat was dangling from the keychain. As Nick studied his new auxiliary weapon, the words _Skull Noise_ ran through his head.

Upon returning to the Fifth District, Nick noticed Will standing nearby, though she looked a little transparent. By her side was another red-haired girl, who ran off in the opposite direction, forcing Will to groan as she followed her.

"Will!" Nick shouted.

"Hold on there, Nick," a new voice resounded. A globe with crystal spikes protruding from it appeared in front of Nick, and a few seconds later, who else but Joshua should appear.

"Joshua, there you are," Neku quipped, walking up to the scene. He had a small bruise on his face, but was otherwise okay.

"Hello, Neku. How long the days without you have felt," Joshua teased.

Just then, Rhyme materialized in front of the strange globe. "Rhyme! Am I glad you're okay," Nick quipped, to which Rhyme smiled. "Hey, Neku, do you know this guy?"

"Yeah. Joshua. He's my... friend," Neku answered.

"Okay... are you the one who took Rhyme away?" Nick asked. "And how do you know my name?"

"If you'd like to settle down for a sec, I'll field your questions one at a time," Joshua answered. "Let's start with Rhyme. I'm hanging on to her dreams form her. They're my Portal."

Joshua had to hold back a chuckle at Nick's confused look. "Let's just say her dreams are a gateway between worlds. Next question: how could I possibly know your name, right? This town has a little secret. It only appears when someone out there is in need of shelter. I'll spare you the details, but right now, it's made up of my dreams. So of course I know you. I dreamed you up. I know your girlfriend Will, too."

"Really? You know Will?" Nick wondered.

'Well, yeah. I'm kind of omniscient," Joshua admitted.

"Then, where is she?"

Joshua gestured to the left alleyway of the Fifth District, where the transparent image of Will could be seen. "She's right inside this projection, in another imagining of this world."

'You mean... another Traverse Town?" Nick realized. "Can I get there with your Portal thing?"

"Sad to say it won't work for you," Joshua answered. "My 'Portal thing' only opens for the one with Rhyme's dreams. In that projection, you're seeing another chain of events, in another world trapped by the Dream Eaters. As for how the world got split in two... I have a feeling you'll need to ask this guy."

As Joshua said "this guy", the transparent form of the hooded figure walked down the steps.

"Him again," Nick growled.

Rhyme and Neku suddenly turned around and saw Beat and the other red-haired girl, Beat apparently shouting at the hooded figure.

"Beat..." Rhyme whispered.

Neku looked at the other red-haired girl, who was standing behind Beat.

"Shiki..." Neku whispered.

Nick noticed Will bringing Ethereal Light into a fighting stance against the hooded figure.

"Will..." Nick whispered.

_~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~_

Will slowly stirred, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"What happened? Did I seriously just fall asleep?" Will wondered to nobody in particular. "Where are Joshua and Beat?"

"Hey, do you mind?!"

Will summoned Ethereal Light just in time to see a red-haired girl running by the hotel... being chased by two Nightmare Meow Wows.

"Well, if that don't beat all," Will quipped, following her quarry back to the First District.

When she got there, Will saw the girl being harassed by the Meow Wows and a few new Dream Eaters that looked like rams.

"Hey, freak shows, you wanna dance?!" Will challenged, catching the Dream Eaters' attention.

Will wasted no time in getting into the swing of combat, ravaging the Yoggy Rams with another Ars Arcanum, then cleaning up the Meow Wows with a few Strike Raid attacks.

"Wow, I'm kickin' butt," Will noted. "All that training I did on my trip really paid off, huh?"

"Seriously, thanks for the assist," the other girl giggled. "I'm Shiki, how 'bout you?"

"Will."

"Thanks, Will."

"Sure." And Will began to walk away. Shiki didn't take it too well.

"Hold on, that's it?!" Shiki shouted. "You chat up a girl, then just say 'Sure' and walk off?!"

"I-I'm bad at this... sorry," Will admitted. "Look, it's not safe here. You should go home."

"If it's dangerous, how can you just leave me here?" Shiki asked. "Aren't you my knight in shining armor?"

Shiki looked over at Will and winked. "Well?"

That brought a blush to Will's cheeks. "Kn-knight?! You've got the wrong idea!"

"Omigosh, I was so just kidding," Shiki quipped. "You get out much?"

_If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was flirting with me,_ Will thought. _But the only girl I like... well, 'like that' is Irma, right? Oh, god, I'm so bad at this..._

"You kinda remind me of this guy I know... well, good thing we met, huh?" Shiki giggled, bobbing her stuffed cat in her hands.

"Yeah... sure," Will gasped, still a little confused. _Oh, boy._

With Shiki in tow, Will journeyed through Traverse Town, fighting her way through many more Dream Eaters and eventually finding herself in the Fifth District where Nick had just fought Hockomonkey.

"Hey, over there!" Shiki exclaimed, rushing off through the back alleyway.

"Shiki, we need to stick together!" Will shouted, only to be cut off by Shiki screaming. "Perfect..."

Will followed Shiki's path to the stairway. "You can't expect me to..." But she saw someone that wasn't Shiki.

It was the hooded figure, a foot on top of Shiki's stuffed cat Mr. Mew.

"How did you get here?" the hooded figure spoke in a decidedly feminine voice laced with venom, yet still sounding dangerously familiar.

"Who the hell are _you_?!" Will growled, summoning Ethereal Light as the figure kicked Mr. Mew at her.

"By choice or chance?" the figure continued. "You cannot control what you are not aware of. This wakeless sleep will be your prison... to wander forever."

"What are you _talking about_?!" Will shouted, starting to lose her patience.

"Will! Don'chu listen to that punk!" Beat shouted from afar. Will looked over and saw that Beat had rescued Shiki.

"Shiki's gonna be fine. She told me whassup. Hoodie here set the whole thing up, yo," Beat explained. "He said he'd send Shiki back to our world, and you was the cost of travel. Yo, this is seriously one half-baked excused for a mission. Betchu ain't even a Reaper."

The hooded figure pulled down her hood to reveal...

Wait.

It was Haruka.

Wasn't it?

As Will got a close look at the figure, she noticed that this girl actually did look a lot like Haruka, save for the shorter hair and evil-looking yellow eyes she'd seen a lot.

"All right, who are you?" Will challenged.

The Haruka look-alike simply smiled and raised her hands, creating another Hockomonkey similar to the one Nick had just fought, only this one didn't have any legs. It floated through the door to the garden, phasing right through it.

"I'm really sorry, Will," Shiki stated, only for Will to toss over Mr. Mew.

"It's all right," Will replied. "Beat, watch her. I'm going to go clean house."

"I gots this, yo!" Beat quipped as Will rushed for the garden to confront Hockomonkey.

Upon entering, she looked up at the floating Hockomonkey, which seemed to be staying far away from her by rising up to the ceiling.

Will instinctively went for the Heart of Candracar, only to find she couldn't summon it.

"What the hell?! Why can't I find the Heart?!" Will shouted. "Don't tell me I lost it..."

_You still have the Heart, Will,_ the voice of Himerish resounded in her mind. _The Heart now resides within your new keyblade. Ethereal Light will also double as your way to use the Heart and all of its abilities._

"Thanks, your majesty. That had me worried for a second," Will giggled, raising Ethereal Light above her head. _"Guardians, unite!"_

Though none of the other Guardians were there save Nick, in a sense, Will still felt that familiar thrum of energy that meant she was going through her transformation.

When the light around her died down, Will was clothed in her Guardian getup, wings and all.

"Let's fly," Will quipped, floating upwards to face down Hockomonkey.

The large gorilla-like Nightmare immediately responded by chucking two fireballs at Will, which were dispersed with one slice of Ethereal Light.

"Sorry, buddy, but you'll have to do better than THAT!" Will taunted.

Hockomonkey's answer was to throw a wicked right hook that connected with a loud THWACK and sent Will spiraling into a nearby wall.

After peeling herself off of the wall, Will growled angrily. "All right, ape man, you wanna play that game?! We'll play that freakin' game!"

Will's Komory Bat appeared a second later, as if it knew what Will wanted to do.

"Let's trash this thing, little buddy," Will stated as the Komory Bat absorbed itself into her body.

"_Link Style! Darkest Fears!"_

When Will had powered up, she flew at Hockomonkey, ravaging it with a series of dark-enhanced physical strikes, throwing in a few bursts of magic every now and then. Hockomonkey could do nothing but defend itself against Will's assault.

For the finisher, Will used her newfound dark powers to execute an attack she had only previously used while under Xehanort's control. "Now, open your heart to the darkness!" Will shouted dramatically (she'd always wanted to say that) before rushing forward at blinding speeds, slashing at Hockomonkey on every pass.

"Welcome oblivion!" Will proclaimed, finishing her attack by stabbing Ethereal Light into Hockomonkey's head, creating a series of dark explosions that tore Hockomonkey to pieces.

"That was actually pretty cool," Will giggled as she floated to the floor and reverted to her normal self, her Komory Bat flying around her. "I've always wondered if I could use that move."

As Will walked out of the garden, Ethereal Light disappeared and a new keyblade appeared in her hand. This new weapon was predominantly black in color. Its teeth were in the shape of a skull that resembled Neku's Player Pin and the blade was composed of two black metal pieces elongating from the skull to the hilt, between them a purple line that quavered like a sound wave. The hilt was made up of two pieces of metal protruding from a circular piece that was red inside with the skull that appeared on Beat's beanie. The guard was based off Neku's headphones and a little black cat was dangling from the keychain. As Will studied her new auxiliary weapon, the words _Skull Noise_ ran through her head.

When she met up with Beat and Shiki again, she suddenly saw them staring at transparent images of Joshua, Rhyme, Neku, and Nick.

"What are we seeing?" Will wondered.

"This is so messed up, man!" Beat growled, reaching towards the image of Rhyme. "She's right here in front of me, and... and I can't reach her!"

"If your hearts are connected, you'll reach her," Will stated.

Beat looked longingly at the image of his little sister.

"Rhyme..." Beat whispered.

Shiki seemed to blush when she looked at the image of Neku, clutching Mr. Mew close to her chest.

"Neku..." Shiki whispered.

Will couldn't help but smile at the image of Nick.

"Oh, Nick..." Will sighed longingly.

Later on, after everyone had departed, Nick and Will were standing side-by-side, watching each other from their own side of Traverse Town.

"In their world," Joshua proclaimed, causing both Nick and Will to turn around, "something happened that brought their existence to an end. To keep them from fading altogether, I gathered up the very last remnants of their dreams and looked for a place to give them refuge. It was then this world appeared to answer my call, and Rhyme's dreams allowed us to reach it. Here, I thought they might have a chance, that the pieces of their dreams could make them whole again. Imagine my surprise when I found that dreams take bodily form in this world. Then, it struck me: by linking their dream pieces together, maybe I could make them exist again. Maybe I could give them another chance."

"It can't be that simple..." Will noted.

"Can it?" Nick wondered.

"Well, why can't it? By ourselves, we're no one," Joshua continued. "It's when other people look at us and see someone, that's the moment we start to exist. All they needed was for someone to see them, connect with them. And the two of you were a big part of making that happen."

Nick and Will looked at each other, then back to Joshua.

"Joshua, just... who are you?" Nick and Will asked at the same time.

"Let's say... a friend," Joshua admitted, suddenly sprouting white angel wings and taking off into the sky.

Before Nick and Will could comprehend any of this, they looked up and gasped; a large, shining keyhole had just appeared on the nearby wall.

Knowing what they had to do, the two of them raised their keyblades toward the Sleeping Keyhole, firing beams of light into it. Much like in the phantom Heatherfield, the keyhole seemed to shatter, revealing a larger portal that eventually sucked both of them into it.

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When Nick and Will could see again, they were floating in a gigantic blue void with a large, swirling golden vortex at the bottom. Behind them was a large sphere that represented Traverse Town. And in front of them, resting on a large ring, where three more large sphere, no doubt representing three of the Sleeping Worlds. Further ahead were two more spheres, followed by a solitary one at the very edge of the void.

Will, on pure instinct, reached out to touch Nick's cheek. "Hey, what's with the sudden display of affection, Will?"

"I can actually touch you! You're not an image like you were in Traverse Town!" Will giggled.

"To be honest, that whole experience with the dual Traverse Towns was pretty trippy," Nick admitted. "I'm just glad we managed to make some new friends."

"AND we unlocked the first Sleeping Keyhole," Will noted. "That's one world down already!"

"And I'm guessing these are the next worlds that we need to hit the alarm clock on," Nick realized, gazing at the three large world spheres ahead of them.

"Which one are we going to first?" Will asked.

"It's really up to you, Will," Nick replied. "I'm sure there's no specific order that the Oracle wants us to wake the Sleeping Worlds in. So, how about you pick?"

Will put her hand under her chin, studying the world gates.

The first sphere showed what appeared to be a large aircraft carrier, and girls with strange machines attached to their legs were flying around, blasting at strange-looking aliens.

The second sphere showed a blue and extremely blocky-looking area that seemed to have jumped right out of a computer world. What seemed to be a samurai boy, a geisha girl, a cat boy, and a pink-haired girl were fighting off what appeared to be mutated spiders.

The third sphere showed a bunch of computers manned by what just had to be giant robots, with a few teenagers hanging around. A large portal was open behind the group.

"How about that one?" Will concluded, pointing to the first sphere. "I've always wanted to blast aliens that weren't in _Space Invaders_."

"You actually still play that old game?" Nick quipped.

"I've been playing Namco Classics Collection before I got possessed," Will noted. "Incredibly fun way to pass the time."

Nick just sweatdropped as he and Will began to dive towards the world in question.

Will quickly reached out to take Nick's free hand. "I don't know if we're going to get separated again or not when we get to the world, so just hold on, okay?"

Nick nodded as they got closer to the world gate.

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Next time:

Verse 3: Blasting Aliens With Low-Cut Pants! Strike Witches, To Battle!

Nick and Will land in a strange world where magical girls wearing mechanical flight suits fight aliens that can destroy the land. But recently, the Neuroi have been stepping up their attacks by a lot, and the Strike Witches are exhausted. Could this be the work of the strange hooded girl that Will saw back in Traverse Town?


End file.
